More than a century ago, Audubon pioneered the idea of community science with the first Christmas Bird Count. Today the longest-running wildlife census in the hemisphere continues to shape and inform our approach to conservation, providing vital information about bird populations and trends, data that alerts us to environmental threats not only to birds but to the larger ecosystems we all depend on. As partners with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in ebird.org, Audubon has helped transform community science into an everyday activity for tens of thousands of birders. Their observations, reported online anytime and from anywhere throughout North America, provide an ongoing assessment of bird populations that is fast becoming an invaluable resource for conservation.

The Grange Insurance Audubon Center participates in a number of community science initiatives throughout the year. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact our Stewardship Engagement Coordinator, Fiona McCarthy, at fiona.mccarthy@audubon.org.

Project Feeder Watch

Beginning each November, Project FeederWatch turns your love of feeding birds into scientific discoveries.  FeederWatch is a winter-long (November-April) survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other places throughout North America. This survey helps scientists track long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. For more information on Project FeederWatch click here.  

Lights Out

Every spring and fall, millions of birds migrate throuh Ohio on their way to or from their breeding grounds. Many birds migrate at night, and lights on tall buildings or aimed at the sky can disorient them and draw them into the buildings. This causes many birds to strike windows or circle buildings until they fall from exhaustion. Lights Out programs provide an opportunity to reduce the number of collision-related kills, and have been successful in a number of cities across the U.S. We are looking for volunteers to help collect injured and deceased birds from the grounds of downtown Columbus buildings during peak migration months (from the middle of March to late May, and from mid-August through the end of October). Any live birds will need to be transported to the Ohio Wildlife Center for care and treatment through their rehabilitation program. All deceased birds will be processed by the OSU-Museum of Biological Diversity and used for research purposes.

If you are interested in volunteering please contact Fiona McCarthy, volunteer coordinator for Columbus Lights Out, at fiona.mccarthy@audubon.org!